


@SpiderWatch

by talitha_koum2c479



Series: #WheresSpidey? [4]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-02
Updated: 2020-08-02
Packaged: 2021-03-06 02:49:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,973
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25676125
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/talitha_koum2c479/pseuds/talitha_koum2c479
Summary: Peter has been missing for three days. Ned and MJ are looking for ways to assist in the hunt for Peter and Spiderman. But how can two teenagers help a billionaire and the literal Avengers find their missing friend and hero?More tags will be added as the story continues.
Series: #WheresSpidey? [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1827892
Comments: 2
Kudos: 6





	@SpiderWatch

**Author's Note:**

> Alright ya'll, now we're getting somewhere. So this story features Ned and MJ's perspectives of the #WheresSpidey? series. I'm not sure how many chapters it will become yet, so stay tuned! 
> 
> Speaking of, there's no better way to learn html than trial by fire! After several weeks of practice, I'm (slowly) becoming used to at least the basics of using html to format this story. I hope to continue to learn more, especially as I have more plans to incorporate images in future stories! I'm a teacher, so these computer skills I'm learning will likely (eventually) be helpful in my classroom, as well as on AO3. If you have any tips, please feel free to let me know!
> 
> Now, without further ado, let's join Ned and MJ as they respond to the disappearance of one Peter Parker...

Peter, Ned, and MJ had created plans to meet for a movie night, but with recent developments, plans had been changed. Ned walked into the coffee shop, Mugs and Muffins, and drew in a deep breath. The café had a calming atmosphere, with the soothing aroma of coffee and chocolate permeating the space. The walls and furniture were all a warm brown color, with light blue and green accent colors. Some bookshelves with board games and books were on the wall straight ahead, while the front counter and register were to his left. Tables and booths lined the wall to his right and the floor to ceiling windows behind him.

Ned scanned the shop and found MJ sitting at a small table near the window with a mug of hot chocolate. He waved, ordered himself a cup of iced tea and a blueberry muffin, and joined her. 

"Hey MJ."

"Ned." 

The two sat in a mildly awkward silence, both unsure how to address the issue at hand. Ned sipped his iced tea and picked apart his muffin while MJ starred out the window, watching crowds of people walk past. 

"Isn't it too hot out for you to be drinking hot chocolate?" Ned finally asked. 

"People drink hot coffee throughout the summer too, what's wrong with hot chocolate?"

Ned shrugged, taking another sip of his tea. 

MJ scowled into her hot chocolate and squared her shoulders. She turned to Ned. "So. Peter's missing." 

Ned nodded. "Three days now."

It had been three days since they had received the message from Tony Stark informing them that something had happened to Peter. They had spent the last three days anxiously waiting for word from the kidnappers as they continued to attend school as if nothing had happened. Tony Stark and the Avengers were doing everything they could to find and rescue Peter, but Tony had explained that whoever had taken him had left very little behind in the way of clues. 

The official word, told to the school and everyone else who knew Peter, was that he and his aunt had a family emergency that required them to leave the city. It wasn’t even a lie, really—Peter’s disappearance did, in fact, qualify as a family emergency. The story not only provided a plausible explanation for Peter’s own disappearance, but also provided May a reason for requesting several days off work.

"We have to do something." 

"I know. I'm his guy in the chair, I'm supposed to be there for him and help him--"

"And you will be, Ned," MJ interrupted, bluntly but not unkindly. "You're still his guy in the chair. So what can a guy in a chair do to help locate Spiderman?" 

Ned pushed his iced tea and the mountain of crumbs that was formerly his muffin to the side. He pulled his laptop from the bag but left it closed in front of him. "Tony has his AI looking up cameras and searching for information on who could have taken Peter, and where they might be now. The Avengers are doing patrols around the city, asking informants for information."

"There has to be more we can do. We have an entire city of people who know Spiderman, people who love him. They have potential to be an army searching for clues, but they don't know anything is wrong yet. We just have to figure out how to get them started."

Ned thought for a minute. "You're right. For us, 3 days feels like a lifetime, because we know Peter. For the city, people might not have even noticed Spiderman is missing yet. Peter doesn't patrol every day, and even when he does he tends to keep a lower profile." 

"We could start with social media, asking people for information on where they've seen Spiderman. Awareness, followed by a call to search." 

"We know that Peter was kidnapped, though." 

"The public doesn't. And even if they did, the message would be the same: have you seen him? Do you have any clues to where we could find him? Be on the lookout!" 

Ned opened his laptop and pulled up Twitter. Within minutes he had created a new account, followed as many people as he could, and posted his first message. 

> **Where'sSpidey? @SpiderWatch**   
>  May 15 (4:57pm)  
>  Hey, has anyone seen Spiderman lately? #WheresSpidey?

> **guy-in-the-chair @NLeeds**   
>  May 15 (5:05)
>
>> Retweeted **@SpiderWatch**  
>  Hey, has anyone seen Spiderman lately? #WheresSpidey? 

"Let's get this party started," he said, turning the screen to MJ. She read his post to herself, then pulled out her phone.

> **EmJay @Michelle J**  
>  May 15 (5:05)
>
>> Retweeted **@SpiderWatch**  
>  Hey, has anyone seen Spiderman lately? #WheresSpidey?

"It's a start," she said. "We can build our following and post regularly, maybe someone will have an idea of what's happened. Tony said he found Peter's suit near Kissena Park, right? Maybe we should go check it out, see if anyone remembers seeing Spiderman on Tuesday."

"It's worth a shot." Ned closed his laptop and placed it in his backpack.

The two left the coffee shop and made their way to Kissena Park. As they walked, they started asking people if they remembered seeing Spiderman earlier in the week.

"Spiderman was here last week, Friday," said Crystal, who was washing the counters of a food truck. "A couple months ago, he helped me change the flat of this big lump of a truck." Crystal patted the side of the truck. "It was a nightmare, I own Lucille here myself, now that my business partner ran off on me. I was trying to figure out who to call about getting the tire replaced, and Spiderman swung up. Helped me pull out the jack and replaced it on his own, free of charge. Definitely a lifesaver. Anyway, sometimes he still comes by and checks in, buys a drink and some tacos or a hot dog. Why are you looking for him?"

Ned and MJ hadn't planned for that question, but Ned quickly answered. "We're really big fans of his, and we wanted to see if we could get a selfie with him. It would be such a cool picture to post online!"

Crystal laughed. "Well, he does tend to come around here at least once a week, I'm sure if you spend a couple days wandering the neighborhood you'll eventually find him. Good luck!"

Ned and MJ walked away, and MJ gave Ned a little nudge. "You know, for how terrible you losers are at keeping secrets, you're pretty quick on your feet."

Ned snorted. "Should I be feeling insulted or complimented by that statement?"

"Yes," MJ responded with a grin.

Ned rolled his eyes and they moved on.

* * *

"Yeah! I totally saw Spiderman!" A young college student named Tyrone said. "Last Saturday, I was trying to figure out how to get from here to my job interview in Brooklyn. I just moved into the city for university, and I need a part-time job to afford rent. Anyway, I couldn't believe it when I saw Spiderman on my second weekend here! I mean, I know he's Queens superhero and all, but still! You never expect it to be you!"

"Can you tell us more?" Ned asked.

"Honestly, there's not too much to tell," Tyrone said. "I was standing in the middle of the sidewalk with my NYC map out, trying to figure out the best buses or trains to take, and Spiderman must have seen I was struggling."

"He's known for helping tourists find directions," MJ said.

"Exactly. So he swings by, asks me where I'm headed, and five minutes later has sent me on my way. I made it to the interview with plenty of time, and yesterday I found out that I got it! It's only part-time, and it's not what I want to do forever, but man, it's good to know I have a job now. I wish I could tell Spiderman thank you."

As Ned and MJ continued walking down the street, Ned's phone buzzed with a notification.

> **BiggestSpidermanFan @UltimateFan**  
>  May 15 (5:25)  
>  Yeah, he hasn't been out the last couple days, anyone see him recently? **@SpiderWatch**
>
>> Retweeted **@SpiderWatch**   
>  Hey, has anyone seen Spiderman lately? #WheresSpidey? 

"Look, MJ," Ned said, pushing his screen toward her. "That one big Spiderman fan account just retweeted us."

MJ glanced on it quickly and squinted. "Whoever it is found our new account a lot faster than I would have expected."

Ned shrugged. "Whatever gets us followers the fastest. BiggestSpidermanFan does have a lot of followers."

The two stopped just outside a convenience store and greeted a man with a small boy as they passed. MJ asked if they had seen Spiderman recently.

"You see that bookstore over there?" Jayden said, pulling his son close and pointing across the street. The shop was brick, a few windows giving a glimpse at the rows and rows of shelves inside. The sign above the door read _The Bookworm's Shelf._ "We were walking out of that bookstore on Monday. Theo here, he ran out ahead of me, excited because we were about to go to his friend's birthday party. That's when I saw the car. Some drunk driver had run that red light over there," Jayden pointed again, down the road at a nearby intersection. "Somehow, they grazed that fire hydrant and came straight at the front doors of the store, right where Theo was standing. Spiderman swooped in, jumped right in front of Theo, and stopped the car."

"It was sooo cool!" Theo said, poking his head up from under his father's arm. "Spiderman just jumped right in front of me, and he was like, _bam!_ And I was like, _whoa!_ And Spiderman lifted the car up into the air like it was made out of feathers, or a pillow! And then he looked back at me, while he was still holding the car, and he winked at me! For real, Spiderman winked at me, I saw it from his mask! And then he carefully placed the car back down on the ground and asked me if I was ok, so I said yes, because of course I was ok, Spiderman had just _saved my life,_ and then he went and checked the person in the car to see if _they_ were alright, and we called the cops and they came too, and--"

Jayden sighed. "For the kid, meeting his hero, it was amazing. For me, it was terrifying. My son would have been killed. Spiderman saved his life. I never got a chance to thank him."

"But we'll see Spiderman again!" Theo said cheerfully, with all the confidence of an 8-year-old. "I just know it, cuz Spiderman is always there when you need him!"

Jayden chuckled softly. "Theo loved Spiderman before this happened, now it's all he can talk about. If he could, I'm sure Theo would try to become a superhero, just like Spiderman."

Ned looked at MJ, sadness filling his eyes. Here was a kid, so certain that he would see his hero again, with no idea that his hero was currently missing and in danger. MJ leaned down so that she was eye level with Theo. "Theo, can I tell you a secret?"

Theo nodded eagerly.

MJ smiled softly. "There are many, many kinds of heroes in the world," she started. "Spiderman has superpowers, and that allows him to do some amazing things, like catching cars and swinging through buildings. But he's not the only hero New York City needs. We need lots of heroes. Most of our heroes don't have superpowers. That's really important, Theo, you know why?"

Theo frowned thoughtfully. "Because lots of people need help, but we don't have lots of superheroes."

"That's right. We need lots of people, like teachers and doctors and firefighters and construction workers and chefs and store owners and actors and city leaders... so many people, Theo, help make our city work. And we need all of them. You can be a hero, too."

"But I'm just a kid!" Theo said. "Kids can't be heroes!"

"Theo, don't let anyone ever tell you that you're too young, or too small, or too weak to be a hero. I'll tell you why. The secret, the part that sometimes people, especially grown-ups, forget, is this: just because you don't have superpowers, doesn't mean you can't be a hero. Whenever you do something kind, or you encourage someone, or you become someone's friend, you are being a hero. That's how Spiderman started, with helping people cross the street and giving directions to people. He can also lift cars, which is absolutely and _totally_ cool!" MJ grinned. "But Spiderman isn't a hero because he's super strong or sticky. He's a hero because he tries to be kind and do the right thing. Do you think you can be kind and do the right thing?"

"Well, I want to," Theo thought for a moment. "But sometimes it can be hard. Sometimes I don't know what the right thing is, or I do the wrong thing and get in trouble."

MJ nodded. "Me too. And that's ok, even heroes aren't perfect. Sometimes they make mistakes, too. That's why you need a superhero team, a group of people who can help you when being a hero is hard or when you don't know what to do."

"Like Daddy does?" Theo asked, looking up at Jayden. "Daddy, are you on my superhero team?

"Yeah, buddy, I definitely want to be on your superhero team," Jayden smiled, with a lump in his throat. "Can I be your sidekick?"

Theo's eyes lit up. "My sidekick? Yes! Can we have cool hero names, too?"

"Of course, Theo, all heroes have a cool name!" Jayden laughed.

Theo stood up straight, pulling his father's arm off his shoulders. "If Daddy's on my team, then I want to be a hero, too. Like Spiderman."

"Theo, you're already smarter than a lot of the adults I know," MJ smiled. "I can't wait to hear all about the amazing things you do to help other people."

Ned, who had been watching the entire exchange with interest, pulled out a pad of paper and a pen from his backpack. "Hey, Theo, if it's ok with you and your dad, I'd love to get an autograph from NYC's newest Superhero. Is that ok with you guys?"

Theo's face lit up as he turned to Jayden. "Please, Daddy! No one's ever wanted my autograph before!"

"Sure, it's alright with me," Jayden said.

Ned handed Theo the pad and the pen. "I don't have my superhero name yet, so I'm just going to put my name, is that ok?"

"That's perfect," Ned smiled. Theo stuck out his tongue as he carefully wrote his name in big, clear letters.

"Thank you," Jayden said. "This was... this was really good for Theo. And for me, too. I think we have a lot to think about, don't we buddy?"

MJ smiled. "It was nice to meet you both. I hope you get to meet Spiderman again, Theo, so that you can tell him all about your own superhero acts of kindness."

"Bye, thank you!" Theo called as he and Jayden began walking down the street. "Daddy, can Mommy be on my superhero team, too?"

"Of course, Theo, I'm sure Mommy would love to be on your team..." their voices soon faded into the bustle and noise of the busy street.

Ned turned to MJ. "MJ, that was brilliant. And it gave me an idea for a way we can help Peter. But it'll be a lot of work."

"Loser," MJ muttered fondly, "Didn't you _just_ hear me talking about how it's important to do the right thing, even when it's hard? Tell me about this plan of yours."

Ned's phone buzzed. "Tony texted me." 

"What do you think he means?" Ned asked, showing MJ the message. 

"It's Tony Stark. It could mean anything." 

"Hey!" a voice called out. "I hear you kids are looking for Spiderman."

MJ and Ned turned to see an elderly lady with a cane standing on the front steps of a nearby house. "Yeah," Ned said, after a moment of surprised silence. "Have you seen him?"

"Why, yes, I did. Just a couple days ago, in fact. Spiderman helped me carry my groceries into the house."

The two teenagers exchanged excited grins. "Do you mind telling us more?" MJ asked.

The old lady hummed. "Sure, if you both come in and try a couple cookies. Are you kids fans of Spiderman?"

MJ smirked, "Yeah, you could say that." 

"Well, my name is Phyllis Jennings, but you can call me Gram-Gram. Come on in, come on in, the cookies are just sitting on the counter, begging to be eaten. Of course, we'll pop 'em in the microwave real quick, let the chocolate melt just a wee bit, and then I'll tell you all about Spiderman's visit." 

* * *

Ned and MJ spent about an hour with Phyllis, talking about the time she had spent with Spiderman. As MJ and Ned were walking down the front steps of Phyllis' home and waving goodbye, Ned pulled out his phone to discover it had blown up with notifications and texts. He scrolled through to the bottom and found what must have started it all. 

> **iamironman @Tony Stark**  
>  May 15 (5:41)  
>  Calling all citizens: Have YOU seen Spiderman? **@SpiderWatch**
>
>> Retweeted @SpiderWatch  
>  Hey, has anyone seen Spiderman lately? #WheresSpidey? 

Tony's retweet was followed by an immediate flood of new follower notifications, each interested in the new Spiderman account that had been, for all intents and purposes, endorsed by Tony Stark himself. The post had been retweeted several more times, with a wide variety of comments.

"Well," said MJ, "Our task of gaining followers just became that much easier."

> **@SpiderWatch** has 3.4k New Followers

**Author's Note:**

> So this chapter was almost completely written, and it was originally supposed to be very, very, very different, but the characters had some different ideas. I have to say, I'm loving the way things have turned out a lot more than the original version. I really hope you like it, as well! I also hope you feel I've done an at least half-way decent job with MJ's character here.
> 
> Now, the focus of this chapter (and this story) is on @SpiderWatch, so the story of what happens with Ned, MJ, and Gram-Gram was purposefully removed--especially with the addition of some other special characters. I'm thinking of writing/finishing that scene at a later date, and I do have an idea for that, so let me know if you're interested. It will likely be posted on the NYC's Gram-Gram story, if it happens, and I'd encourage you to go read that if you haven't already!
> 
> This, like NYC's Gram-Gram, story has a couple more chapters in the works. After all, if you've read #WheresSpidey?: A Prologue, you know that during the weeks of Spiderman's disappearance Ned and MJ put quite a bit of work into their efforts to find Peter--although there's still a lot that even I don't know. So, tune in next time to find out what these two incredible teens do next! Also, just like in NYC's Gram-Gram, there are some... hints as to what will be coming next in the story and other stories in the #WheresSpidey? series. Feel free to comment your predictions, I'd love to hear what you think will happen next!


End file.
